


It's The Apocalypse, What Else Do You Expect?

by DrawingsAndDreams



Category: The Last Kids on Earth (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Violence, Book 2, Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, How Do I Tag, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Violence, Monsters, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Platonic Relationships, Post-Apocalypse, Sick Character, Sickfic, Trust Issues, Zombie Apocalypse, right after book 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:22:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23814538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrawingsAndDreams/pseuds/DrawingsAndDreams
Summary: After the whole mess that happened with Blarg, Jack definitely should’ve realized by now that messing with a monster was probably not the best idea that one could have. In fact, if you got into a mishap with one, you better believe that it would come back with a roaring vengeance.Especially if you messed with said creature’s eggs.Jack had entirely pushed the whole incident with the invisible creep that he met at the supermarket into the back corner of his mind. He had failed both of his missions that day, and even worse, he had disappointed his friends. Honestly, he really didn’t want to remember that situation at all, even if it would prepare him for what was to come.
Relationships: Dirk Savage & Jack Sullivan, Dirk Savage & Quint Baker, June Del Torro & Dirk Savage, June Del Torro & Jack Sullivan, June Del Torro & Quint Baker, Quint Baker & Jack Sullivan
Comments: 28
Kudos: 115





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I hope that you enjoy my first "The Last Kids on Earth" fanfiction! I've been hooked on the show for quite a while now, so I thought that I should write something for it. Any comments or kudos would be enjoyed by me! Thanks!

After the whole mess that happened with Blarg, Jack definitely should’ve realized by now that messing with a monster was probably not the best idea that one could have. In fact, if you got into a mishap with one, you better believe that it would come back with a roaring vengeance.

Especially if you messed with said creature’s eggs.

Jack had entirely pushed the whole incident with the invisible creep that he met at the supermarket into the back corner of his mind. He had failed both of his missions that day, and even worse, he had disappointed his friends. Honestly, he really didn’t want to remember that situation at all, even if it would prepare him for what was to come.

_________________________________________________________________

Jack was totally mutilating some virtual monsters in the latest game they had raided from the mall, when he heard footsteps approaching the couch. However, he was more focused on making it past this final level before Quint got his hands on the system.

Whoever it could be was definitely impatient. They were tapping their foot against the floor, which was starting to quickly break his concentration.

Finally, they sighed, “Jack. We need you to go on a run for more supplies.”

The only reply was him button mashing for the most ultimate combo move. This was it! He was so close-

“Jack, are you listening to me? Quint’s working on some new kinda experiment, and Dirk’s helping out at Joe’s Pizza. Can you go out and get supplies?”

Almost there...just some more buttons…

“Jack!”

A few more good hits, and he would win! Finally, the evil would be defeated, and he'd win for the kingdom once and for all!

That was when the TV suddenly lost its power. He was about to protest about his game being turned off last minute, before seeing a seriously peeved off June Del Toro holding the plug in front of his face. Uh oh. What was she just saying?

June sighed and dropped the plug down at his feet, definitely disappointed, “You're not busy today, right? Get the supplies we need.”

Jack huffed and crossed his arms while standing up from the couch, “You didn’t have to turn the TV off for that….and hey! Why can’t you do it?”

The very ticked off girl in front of him just decided to sigh, “Because me and Skaelka are gonna be busy sparring,” she threw the list at him while speaking, “Now, go get some supplies. If you do, I’ll make sure Dirk saves you some non-monster food from Joe’s Pizza.”

Jack was enticed with the offer of food. He was also tired of the monster cuisine, which was probably why he needed to get the supplies in the first place. Before he could ask for a rain check though, June quickly made her departure from the treehouse.

He sighed and went to go get his bag and his bat from the ground, but stopped when he recognized something splintered on the floor.

The boy’s went cold. Oh. It was a part of his hockey stick...that he’d given to Thrull. He had wondered where that was...but didn’t have the proper time to look for it. Well. Now he knew.

Jack pushed it under the couch tiredly, before grabbing what he needed to get, and climbing out of the treehouse from the ladder. He whistled for Rover, who was playing with a butterfly before bounding over. He laughed when he got a lick from the large monster dog, and mounted onto his saddle.

“Alright, come on boy, let’s head out on a quest! To the supermarket we go!”

______________________________________________________

Going to the supermarket was much more tame than Jack would’ve thought. The last time he was here, the invisible creep’s eggs were littered absolutely everywhere. And now, they were all gone. Apparently hatched.

He wasn’t quite sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but he really didn’t want to think of the implications of that right now.

Luckily enough for Jack, all of the supplies were just snacks that they were missing. That meant that he didn’t have to take a trip to the mall, which honestly would’ve just tired him out. He grabbed a few baskets and went ham on what he could, filling most of the baskets to the brim. Knowing his luck, he’d be chosen again to grab more supplies if he didn’t come back with more than enough.

A lot of June’s snacks were very specific though, which made it much more of a hassle to find. It really didn’t help that some of the store was partially destroyed due to his tangle with the invisible creep. He was able to find everything though, and strapped everything to Rover.

Jack pet the large monster dog and sighed happily, “Well buddy..you can head back without me. I think I might take the scenic route home.”

Usually he was so busy that he wasn’t able to appreciate the little things. Not even the usual sunset. So, even if it took longer he felt like choosing that option instead. Besides, even with Rover’s super strength, he didn’t want to add any more weight to the dog’s back. He had definitely gotten a lot of things...enough to maybe even last them for more than a month!

Rover whined loudly, not wanting to leave Jack’s side. Especially when it was going to get dark so soon. The monster dog licked Jack’s face before obeying and leaving for the treehouse, which left the boy laughing to himself over it. He sighed and watched as Rover eventually disappeared over the horizon, before beginning his long walk home.

The sunset was honestly beautiful tonight. It was like a small moment of peace after everything that had happened. Jack had almost forgotten what that felt like. A moment to himself. He was so busy with the cleanup and making sure that everyone was ok that he had almost forgotten how to take a break. 

There was almost something serene to the silence around the town. Despite the glowing vines and the threat of Wretches swooping down and grabbing him, things were nice. Well, maybe not so much the apocalypse part, but just being able to wander town was. Maybe he’d even find something awesome on his way back!

That definitely put a skip in the boy’s step, as he was set on exploring more of the empty buildings. There really wasn’t much, but Jack was able to find a few pieces of metal. Maybe Quint would use it for some kind of new experiment? June did say that he was doing that...and he’d be helpful if he nabbed the metal!

Jack’s mind began to wander again, as his thoughts turned to what had recently happened. He didn’t want to admit it, but...he still secretly had that picture of him and Thrull. Granted, it was buried under layers and layers of dirty laundry, but he still had it. Every bone in his body screamed for him to get rid of it, but he just couldn’t. Even if Thrull was definitely mulch by now, and had betrayed him, he couldn’t forget the time he spent with the monster. Thrull was like a mentor to Jack. And he betrayed him. He was abandoned. Again.

Jack was starting to get tired of that. 

Don’t get him wrong, the crew was his family. They’d never leave him on purpose. The trip to June’s house and the fight against Thrull proved that. However...there was always the chance they could get killed. There were still evil monsters, and the undead. Quint had almost died a numerous number of times. Jack wanted to protect them as much as he could, but what if that wasn’t enough?

After all, those nightmares still hadn’t gone away. Neither had the delusions and fears of a monster grabbing them right in front of him. Jack did try his best to suppress those, since his friends probably didn’t appreciate being tackled every five minutes.

He sighed and looked off over the distance, making his way over to one of the homes near the treehouse. Jack sat down on the sidewalk, just to think for a few moments more. There was a lot that he had to process. What would happen if...Rezzoch had another way to come over?

Jack’s breath quickened at that thought. Even the world destroyer’s name sent shivers down his spine after what he saw in the tree. The very idea terrified him. How could he protect his friends and himself against a known destroyer of worlds? He just….he couldn’t deal with that thought right now. He would have to file that in his brain to think about another day.

The boy got up and held onto his backpack straps, sighing to himself, “...At least the treehouse is close...and Joe’s Pizza. Hopefully June got Dirk to actually save something for me.”

He scoffed a little, but was feeling better already. He’d probably feel greater if he hurried back up to the treehouse. Humming happily, he started to make his way back when…

The bushes rustled.

Jack froze in place. Maybe...it was nothing. It could’ve just been something small. Maybe even the wind, even though it was quite nice out today. Maybe it was..

He heard footsteps. Too many footsteps. Jack grabbed his bat out quickly and spun around, “Who’s there?! Hello?”

The boy began to panic, and started to run. He was so close to home, he could make it. That’s when he ran into something that wasn’t there? It was almost like...it was invisible…

Oh no...the invisible creep. And by the sound of the footsteps....the eggs definitely had hatched. There also seemed to be more of its kids than he remembered. 

The creature suddenly became visible, hissing in his face as it knocked him to the floor. Its babies began to swarm him, turning visible and hissing in unison. Jack grabbed his bat and swung, trying to keep them at bay as he was overrun. He tried his best to get up, but kept on getting knocked onto the ground and then stomped on.

He eventually regained his footing, knocking a few of the vengeful creatures back. He estimated that there were around twenty of them. The boy was trying his best, but to practically no avail. It was like trying to fight through a much smarter horde of zombies. He kept on his feet though, knowing that Joe’s Pizza and the treehouse were only a few blocks more away.

Jack somehow managed to push through, albeit with a lot of scrapes and scratches from the many claws trying to drag him back. He ran as fast as he could, ducking through fences in order to block off the horde. He had no idea where they were, or even if they were invisible right now. Which, they probably were. All that mattered was making it back to base, away from the small creatures and their mother.

What he forgot, was how horrible his luck was. He eventually met the dead end of a gate, rattling it furiously. He was so close! Jack started to desperately climb over it instead. 

However, something tugged him down, but he still kept on climbing. The creature hissed, and he realized that it was the mom, since it was obviously much bigger than the babies. It reached up further as he scrambled on the fence. 

Eventually, the invisible creep had enough, and sunk its fangs down into Jack’s leg.

Jack gasped and let go of the wired fence, slamming his head down hard on the concrete, since the creep still had his leg in its mouth. It was ripping up his pant leg now, and was even trying to sink in its teeth further. More of its children surrounded him to watch, and he felt himself starting to get a bit woozy from hitting his head so hard.

The invisible creep eventually let go, apparently satisfied with itself. It hissed to its pack of smaller creeps, and he heard them begin to gallop away.

Jack laid completely still and silent on the ground, in case more were still hiding there, invisible to the naked eye. Once he was sure that none of them were still there, he started to try and pick himself up, groaning in pain. It was time to check out the damage. The scrapes and cuts that he got from the smaller creatures seemed fine enough on their own...

He blanched when he saw the injury on his leg though. Two deep puncture wounds from its fangs, leaving him bleeding on the concrete floor. Jack brought up a hand to run through his hair, but wasn’t surprised when it came back a bit bloody. Oh yeah...he hit his head on concrete.

Jack was still feeling really woozy, and decided that getting up was the best idea right now. It actually wasn’t, because as soon as he did, his leg began to shake under the pressure, and he collapsed again. 

His breath was short, and he felt himself starting to hyperventilate. There were black spots in his vision, and was clearly shaking from the stress from it all. 

Oh god. He was stuck here. And nobody knew where he was.

Panicking just made the black spots grow bigger, and Jack swore that he was seeing double. He grabbed his bat and tried to crawl, but even that was putting strain on him. The boy stayed down, his vision almost completely dark.

Before he passed out though, he thought that he saw something hairy and large in the distance. But he was probably hallucinating.

Then, everything went dark.

______________________________________________________________

June was the type to try and stay cool during stressful situations. That didn’t mean that she never got worried.

Right now, was one of those times.

Rover had come home with the supplies, but didn’t come home with Jack. She had just suspected that he got distracted by something again. Or that he didn’t want to strain Rover, since he definitely got more supplies than what was needed.

Dirk had come back to the treehouse around that time, and they joked about Jack being as distracted as Rover when it came to butterflies. He went to take care of his plants, and she threatened him with Rover again. There was a promise of playing with the monster dog later. She wasn’t worried then.

Quint eventually came out of his lab, satisfied with his brand new project. She wasn’t exactly listening, but apparently it was something that would help him process chemicals and metals easier. They played a game of pingpong after that, laughing about something she can’t quite remember now. She wasn’t worried about Jack then either.

But then it got so late that even most of the monsters were asleep. Rover looked worried, so she smiled and sent the dog out, who was probably looking for Jack now. Dirk was trying to distract himself by tending to his garden, and with serving some dinner to the rest of them. Quint seemed a bit jittery, but tried to distract himself with Dirk’s food and with rambling about his newest project again. June was sharpening her spear and playing video games to keep her mind off of it.

All while Jack’s food, which she had Dirk save for him, grew cold on one of the tables.

She sighed and glanced out of one of the treehouse windows, fully expecting Jack to come, apologizing for being late. He never came, though. 

Quint was so jittery about the matter that he almost went searching for Jack himself. Dirk, however, had managed to convince him to just keep watch for him outside instead. Now they were all just waiting anxiously. Maybe they’d dogpile the dofus when he got home. Then all of the worry could leave her body. 

June just focused on sharpening her spear. Even if it was as sharp as it was gonna get. What would happen if a monster had got him? Was that why he was caught up? Was it like the stakeout situation? What if-

She flinched as she felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned around to face Dirk. Oh. It was just him.

Dirk didn’t seem unnerved by the spear in her hands, “...Don’t worry. The nerd is probably just goofing off or something.”

June scoffed and put away her spear, crossing her arms, “What? I wasn’t worried. I was just...thinking.”

He just laughed and rolled his eyes, “Sure you were. And Quint’s not freezing his butt off while waiting for his dorky friend.”

She rolled her eyes, “I think we’re all just waiting for that idiot to get back. Hopefully Rover’s tracked him by now…”

Dirk opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a scream. Was that Quint? They both looked at each other and rushed outside to see Quint scrambling down the rope ladder, his face pale. 

As he made it to the ground, he rushed off after something yelling, “JACK!”

Both her and Dirk climbed down as quickly as they could, and ran over to where Quint was standing.

Dirk went running after the other boy, “HEY! Slow down before you trip or somethin!”

June was the last one in tow, but still tried to be quick, “Hey! What’s going on-”

The words died on her lips as she saw Dirk and Quint standing frozen, a few feet away from Rover. The said monster dog was holding something limp as gently as he could in his jaws.

It was Jack. His own blood staining a part of his hair and his ripped up pant leg.

It was then that she heard Quint scream louder than he had before.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this Chapter took so long everyone! Near the end I ran out of steam, but now we're back! I can't say that I'll have a super consistent schedule, especially with online school, but I'll try my best with updates!

When Quint screamed, June felt a loud ringing start to begin in her ears. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Jack, who pouted only hours earlier when she told him he had to get the supplies, was limp and bleeding in Rover’s mouth. He didn’t even seem to be conscious right now. He was clearly breathing though. Still alive. She just….she just needed to calm down. 

What needed to be done right now? Obviously Jack needed to get inside. He also needed medicine attention now. Quint had medical knowledge but...he wasn’t calm right now. She needed to get on that after getting the other boy out of Rover’s mouth.

She took a few hesitant steps forward, and noticed out of the corner of her eye that Dirk was trying to calm Quint down. Good. That was good. June looked at Rover once she approached the monster dog, and gently pet his head. She needed to take charge right now if Jack was ever going to get up the rope ladder, or get the medical attention that he needed.

June turned towards Dirk, trying to not sound too choked up, “We need to get him inside. Now. Dirk, can you help me carry him up there? And...Quint, get any type of first aid kit as quickly as possible...please..”

If her voice cracked a little at the end of her sentence, the two boys didn’t acknowledge it. Quint was still shaky, but headed up the rope ladder as quickly as possible. 

She pet Rover again, noticing that he was clearly anxious, “We’re gonna take care of him buddy….don’t worry.”

June nodded towards Dirk, before they both gently pried Jack out of Rover’s mouth. Luckily, he wasn’t too slimy or slobbery. And he was still breathing. But the partly dried blood on him didn’t look too promising…

Dirk sighed to himself, and June heard him mumble, “What did you even get into?...”

She decided to ignore his rhetorical question for now, and put all of her focus on actually making it up the rope ladder. It took a lot of starts and stops, but they eventually got him all the way up. Jack made a small groaning noise when Dirk and her had settled, obviously in pain.

June bit her lip and looked around for a more suitable spot than the treehouse floor, her eyes happening to land on the couch that Jack was playing video games on just hours before, “Let’s get him over to the couch...does that sound like a plan?”

Dirk nodded, “Yeah. Let’s just get the little guy resting...I can take him,” and took the rest of the other boy, trying to be as tender as possible while putting him down.

Jack’s eyes were closed, but he occasionally shivered. Which just left June even more concerned than before. Her friend was in pain, and she couldn’t do a single thing about it. She looked over at Dirk worriedly, and got the same exact look back from him. 

There were a few clanking and clattering noises, and June looked over to identify it. Of course, it was just Quint coming in with an abundance of medical gear. Probably more than what was needed, but did it really matter? She also realized that the boy was shaking, but she didn’t...she didn’t know how to take care of that right now. 

Luckily enough for her, she had Dirk by her side to help. He quickly helped to unload the mass of supplies from Quint’s arms, before placing a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently. 

Quint glanced up at Dirk, before his eyes went back to the floor. He whispered quietly, “I just….he’s so badly injured...I just want to help him..”

Dirk nodded in understanding, and gave a small smile back, “I know. We’re gonna fix the dork right back up, don’t worry. I can give him the stitches, and you can do your other doctor stuff, alright?”

The other boy nodded, looking a bit more confident than before. Quint had also started to unpack what he needed from the kits, while Dirk was looking for a needle and any type of material to make stitches out of for the injured boy. June, in the meanwhile, watched over Jack. She sighed and tried to make sure he was comfortable on the couch, while also checking to see if there were any injuries invisible to the eye. You never know what could happen when your friend was mysteriously knocked out and dragged home.

Eventually Quint and Dirk found what they needed to help Jack out, and June decided to inform them about Jack’s injuries, “It looks like he cut his head or scraped it on something...He also has a lot of small scratches and stuff, so that’s fine. It’s just the bite that...doesn’t look so good.”

Quint nodded and took in a gulp of air, “Well...head wounds bleed a lot, but it’d still be best to look over it and disinfect it. As well as any other cuts that he may have. The bite is definitely going to need stitches...it’s...very deep.”

Dirk was threading the needle he had picked up, but glanced over at the two, “So...you gotta disinfect it and then I’ll sew it? But...what happens if the knucklehead wakes up or somethin?”

The makeshift scientist sighed and rubbed at his arm, “If worse comes to worse...it’ll be painful, especially without any sort of anesthesia. June would have to hold him down or restrain him. Fortunately for us, he seems to be knocked out cold, so we may not have to worry about it.”

June sighed, “I guess that’s a good enough plan for now. Can we get this started already before he actually wakes up?”

The two boys looked at each other and nodded, before getting to work. Quint used disinfectant wipes on Jack’s injuries, while also using some water from a canister and a towel to wipe away the blood. He cleaned up the boy’s leg last, and for a moment Jack’s breath seemed to stutter. Quint had a heartbroken look on his face, but June put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him to the side so that Dirk could do what he needed.

Dirk seemed to be hesitant at first, but took the best care of Jack that he could. Well, until the injured boy started to stir and move around, apparently panicking at what was happening. June rushed over and tried to restrain Jack and pin him down on the couch more, and after a few seconds of worrying, so did Quint. Jack just continued to panic though, squirming and muttering unintelligibly. 

June was trying her best to keep Jack down, but was finding it hard when her friend was clearly in pain, “How many stitches do you have to do, Dirk?”

The boy grimaced and tried to keep Jack’s leg steady, before adding in another stitch, “Only a few more, then it’ll be done.”

Quint grumbled to himself, clearly not happy with the prospect. However, June could see the underlying panic in his eyes as well. None of them ever really saw Jack like this. He was never hurt this badly before, but they had to deal with it now. No matter how unhappy it made them. 

Then again, they’d also have to ask him a lot of questions when he woke up that would probably be...uncomfortable, to say the least.

After what felt like hours, when it was probably only a few minutes at most, Dirk finished up with the stitches. He looked relieved, and after that, Jack stopped squirming. His breathing evened out, which led June and Quint to release him.

June sighed and sat down on the floor, a million thoughts running through her head. Just by looking at the other two, she could tell that they were probably experiencing the same thing. She needed to take charge again, even if everything leading up to this was exhausting to go through.

After thinking of what words to choose she stood up and sighed, causing Quint and Dirk to look in her direction, “Since he’s...well, he’s not better, but he’s better than before...Anybody wanna take watch? Then we can all just...sleep.”

She expected it, but Quint stepped up immediately with a determined look on his face, “I’ll look after him for the night. I need to make sure that he’s ok...and that his stitches won’t tear.”

Dirk crossed his arms, “For the whole night? I don’t know if that’s exactly the best idea, dude.”

Quint sat down on the couch near Jack and sighed, “Look...it’s just one night. I’ll be able to do this. And I’ll take periodic naps in between, that will be timed, of course.”

June rolled her eyes, not wanting to get into an argument after everything, “That’s fine Quint. Just go to me or Dirk if you need any help though, alright?”

She could tell Dirk was planning to object, but as soon as he opened his mouth, she shot him down with a look. He grumbled and looked away before muttering out, “Just don’t overdo it, ok? We can’t have another person down.”

Quint seemed almost sympathetic at that sentiment, and smiled at his two friends, “I’ll be alright. We all will, once we get some sleep. Jack will certainly be up in the morning.”

June started to steer Dirk towards the direction of their rooms in case he had any further objections to it, “Well, that sounds good to us, right Dirk? We’ll just head to bed and...you can call us when you need us? Also tell us when Jack wakes up.”

Quint nodded and went back to checking up on Jack. Meanwhile, June continued to steer Dirk towards his room until they had made it there. She really didn’t want him and Quint to get in another argument about “proper health”, so she needed to take the steps to make sure it didn’t happen. Dirk glared at her the whole time though, but otherwise seemed to understand.

He sighed and looked back towards the living room, “That nerd is gonna keep himself up all night if we don’t stop him…”

June shrugged a little, “Yeah, I know but...what else can we do about it? That seems to be his way of coping…”

The boy in front of her just kept on looking towards the living room, before giving up and heading into his own room, “...I guess. But he better actually call us if he needs help.”

She smiled and patted his shoulder, “I’m sure that he will, Dirk. Now try to get some sleep..we’ve got a lot of questioning to do in the morning..”

Dirk snorted and smirked at her, before going into his room and shutting the door. Thank god that was over with. June soon went into her own room, setting her spear to the side. She flopped onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling of the treehouse. She really wanted to be active right now, but it was like she said earlier. She needed to gather up all the mental energy she needed for tomorrow. The girl eventually closed her eyes and wrapped herself up in her blankets, falling into a concerned slumber

______________________________________________

Jack felt himself almost tumbling in a nightmarish reality. Everything was foggy to him, and he couldn’t find his bat anywhere. He groaned and looked up from his position on the ground, finding himself to be right back at the school. Why was he back here?...

He felt like he was forgetting something, but any time he tried to recollect his memories, his head hurt. His vision was blurry, but he needed to find his friends as soon as possible. The boy tried calling out to them, but his voice wasn’t working. Everything was silent.

Well, until he heard the screaming. Jack’s eyes widened and he got up from the floor, running towards the voices he heard. What he found in front of him was Blarg attacking his friends.

But wasn’t Blarg already dead?...Or...did Rezzoch find a way to bring him back?

Weaponless, he tried charging, but it was like he was stuck in tar. Jack couldn’t move a muscle or scream out to his team. Blarg’s massive paw slapped them to the side, and they were gone.

No. This couldn’t be happening...he couldn’t let this happen!

Things swirled around him as scenes began to play out, bit by bit. Quint getting eaten by zombies. Dirk being attacked by monsters that were even too strong for him. June being overcome by the invisible creep.

His friends being turned into zombies, getting crushed by the worm, being torn apart by Rezzoch.

Everyone becoming a part of the tree’s sacrifice. The mall collapsed around them. He couldn’t save them, he couldn’t get them out in time.

“...Jack?”

On top of it all was Thrull, throwing knives into his back. He was forced to watch every moment over and over and over and over-

“Jack! JACK!”

His foster family abandoning him. His friends abandoning him. Thrull abandoning him. Everyone was gone.

“JACK! FRIEND, YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP!”

And just like that, the scenes faded.

______________________________________________

Quint was trying his absolute best to not cause his friend any pain while waking him up, but it was difficult when the other boy was flailing around in a blind panic. He knew that injuries and illnesses could have a side effect with night terrors, but he had never even seen Jack like this before. So, sue him for being concerned over the other’s wellbeing.

Dirk and June must’ve heard him yelling for Jack to wake up, since he could hear heavy footsteps rushing in the treehouse. All Quint was worried about right now though, was waking up his friend from whatever nightmares plagued his mind. Obviously, it must’ve been more than terrifying.

Luckily enough for him, Jack’s eyes soon shot open after his last shout, darting around. He hastily tried to sit up, even if Quint could see the pain on his face, “What? Where am...What happened? Quint?? I thought you were…”

Quint frowned, holding onto Jack’s shoulder, “You thought I was what, friend?....”

The other boy looked away, “I...nothing. Not important. Are we..back at the treehouse?” Jack squinted and looked around, trying to adjust his eyes more to the morning light.

“Of course! Rover found you last night and...you were pretty roughed up.”

Jack sighed and tried to stand up, much to Quint’s dismay, “Well, if I’m alright now, I might just take another nap in my room..”

He seemed shocked when his friend forced him back down, and Quint glared at him, “Oh no you’re not, mister! You can’t just leave after coming home a wreck yesterday!”

Luckily enough for him, Dirk and June finally made their appearance. And of course, it was June who heard Jack’s last comment, “Nothing at all? You idiot! Quint’s right, we need to talk about what happened!”

Dirk nodded, “Yeah dork. Like first off, how’d you get that bite? Along with everything else..”

Jack shrugged, “Just the regular monster attack, it's nothing new. Besides, I’m fine now, right? I mean..everything’s all fixed up..”

June frowned and crossed her arms, “Jack, Rover found you nearly dead and dragged you back to us! We had to give you stitches yesterday! I don’t think that’s nothing, don’t you?”

The boy on the couch squirmed a bit uncomfortably, unable to leave the conversation, “It...it was just the invisible creep looking for revenge. And it brought some of its kids, which hatched out of the eggs from the grocery store. Did I...forget to mention that part earlier?”

Quint’s eyes widened, “You definitely forgot to mention that part…”

June tugged at her hair, “So there’s another monster after us?? How’d you even get it to leave?!”

Jack shrugged and looked to the side, “I don’t know! After it bit me it just...left for some reason. Then I passed out.”

Quint noticed Dirk getting closer while reaching out to check out Jack’s leg, “That sounds kinda sketchy to me dude...are you sure that you’re alright?” 

“Relax! I’m totally fine! So what if it’s an invisible monster bite? I’m sure it’ll heal up in...how ever many days monster bites heal!”

Quint crossed his arms, “We don't know much about invisible monster bites though! We know all about quills and teeth, but not bites! May I also remind you of how this monster keeps up eluding us all?”

Jack rolled his eyes in an annoyed fashion, “Listen, either way I’ll get back into action soon! Just give me a chance and I’ll-“ The boy suddenly grabbed at his head with one hand, furrowing his eyebrows.

June seemed both worried and angry, from what Quint could tell, “Jack, you grabbing at your head is telling us that you’re not fine! Can you stop being an idiot for one second and let us help?!”

The boy on the couch started to shiver, “But I...it’s just a headache, no biggie! Probably from all of the adrenaline from earlier…”

Quint side stepped Dirk, placing a hand onto Jack’s forehead, before pulling away, “Jack! You’re as hot as a furnace right now! Friend, what you need now more than ever is bed rest…”

Jack pouted, “But I’m fine! Sure I’m a little weak and woozy but I’m alright guys! Really!”

To no surprise at all, it didn’t seem like anyone was inclined to believe Jack about that. Quint especially. He wasn’t quite sure how Jack’s temperature had risen in such a short amount of time, but now was not the right time to be questioning that. That would be for later, once he was surrounded by his research. 

The boy turned towards Dirk, who was currently busy making sure that Jack wasn’t trying to move anytime soon, “Dirk? Would you mind assisting Jack to his room? I’ll go on ahead to make sure that it’s suitable enough for his rest.”

Dirk nodded, “Yeah, sure. Come on Jack, up and at em….but not too quick, ok nerd?”

Seeing that the task at hand was being performed, he nodded towards June before making his way to Jack’s room. The first thing that hit him was the smell of dirty laundry when he approached.

He had almost forgotten that Jack had slept in his own laundry until now. It was fine at other times, but definitely wasn’t a suitable place for rest when sick. Quint sighed and started to move the filthiest laundry to the side of the room, vowing to dump it out of the window later in order to take it somewhere for washing. The clean clothes stayed in the nest, since it would provide a mattress for Jack, because apparently he didn’t have one.

The scientist then turned towards June, “Would you mind getting a blanket from my room for Jack? Oh, and also perhaps a thermometer if you can find it?”

June looked up from what she was examining, snapped out of her anxious stupor, “Huh? Oh, yeah. I can do that. I’ll be back in a sec…”

She ducked out of the room, just barely making it past Dirk, who walked in with an almost entirely limp Jack at his side, “Where do you want me to put him down?”

Quint looked up from the laundry nest, “Over here on the clean clothes! Thanks Dirk.”

The former bully nodded, being careful with the usually hyper boy at his side. He was clearly trying his best to not let Jack’s leg carry his weight, and put him down on the laundry nest gently.

Quint smiled at his friend and placed a hand on his shoulder, “How are you doing friend?...”

Jack definitely looked paler than usual and was still shivering, but still managed to crack a smile, “Just dandy...don’t worry about me too much, buddy.”

He frowned, wanting to tell Jack about how that wasn’t remotely possible, before June came back in with the blanket and the thermometer. She handed the thermometer to the scientist, and put the blanket on the boy in the laundry nest.

Quint quickly thanked June, before turning back to Jack, “Stick this under your tongue for a few minutes, we need to check your temperature.”

Jack huffed, but begrudgingly obliged. Those few minutes felt a bit like torture to everyone in the room, but eventually, it was time to take it out of his mouth. Quint winced once he saw what it was. One hundred and one degrees Fahrenheit. Definitely not ideal.

He sighed and got up, all while still looking at the thermometer, “Well...it is higher than I hoped it would be...but with enough fluids and rest, I’m sure the fever can be broken!”

Dirk crossed his arms and gave Quint a look, “What about his leg though? It looks pretty nasty to me..”

“Well, that should heal on its own too. As long as we disinfect it and keep a watch over it!”

Jack seemed ecstatic enough to receive that news, “So if I sleep for long enough, it’ll go away?”

“Well, that’s not exactly what I meant, but…” It was too late to explain it properly, since the boy was already wrapping himself up in the blanket, preparing himself to sleep. Well, Quint mused, at least it was better than no sleep at all. For now, he had to deal with the others, “As you can see, Jack will be fine as long as he doesn’t pull any more stunts.”

None of them believed that he wouldn’t pull another stunt for even a second, so an awkward silence fell upon the group.

June luckily enough broke it, and tilted her head, “.....So…until then...what do we do?”

Quint smiled, “Well, we make sure we have enough food and water...watch over Jack to make sure he’s alright...and maybe start doing the laundry.”

They all shared a quick laugh over that one, and Quint smiled. His anxiety was starting to fade already, and it seemed as if the group’s morale was up again.

They all would be fine. Things were going to be ok…

Until they weren’t.

**Author's Note:**

> Once again, I hope that you enjoyed! I will be working on the next chapter soon enough!


End file.
